Consumer packaged goods manufacturers introduce many product innovations each year. A favorite marketing activity for introducing these new products to consumers in the market is conducting sampling events. Promotional events, including such product demonstrations and distribution of free samples, have become a valuable tool for emerging companies and existing companies introducing new brands into the already-saturated marketplace. While present methods of implementing product sampling events provide a consumer the ability to participate in a free trial prior to purchase, thereby reducing the risk of purchasing a product they may not enjoy, obvious disadvantages do exist. One such disadvantage of product sampling events is the inability to definitively measure whether the sampling activity caused a shopper to ultimately purchase the product sampled. Another disadvantage of current sampling activity relates to the ability to sample products consistently at hundreds or thousands of locations during a small time period window—such as close to large product launches—given the fact that current sampling activities rely upon scheduling and educating many human product samplers.
A third disadvantage to current sampling activity is the ability to conveniently (in terms of store operations) merchandise a volume of saleable product in close proximity to the sampling activity, thereby causing a shopper to search for the product if they are interested in purchasing after a product sample has been consumed. Finally, a potential situation even more unpleasant and damaging to a brand image, results from unsanitary conditions due to human interaction with and preparation of the product sample before distribution to the consumer. Particularly in instances where a product must be maintained at cool or warm temperatures, deviation from a consumable range may permanently disincline a consumer from purchasing that product, or any product in the brand, in the future.
In addition to product sampling events, shoppers are similarly familiar with enrollment and participation in customer loyalty card programs entitling members to special promotions, coupons, free trial items, discounts, with the expectation on behalf of both the retailer and the manufacturer that such benefits will bolster loyalties and effect shopping trends. While particular manufacturers may form economic relationships with retailers to have their products included in such customer loyalty card programs, the feedback provided to the manufacturer pertaining to its participation in the program may be confounded by concurrent in-store promotions or consumer incentives. More valuable trends, such as whether a customer has permanently switched from one brand to another because of a promotional event, is limited due to the retailer's divided attentions in serving customers, manufacturers, distributors, advertisers, franchisers, and other interests. Additionally, traditional product sampling events are not closely tied to customer loyalty programs, despite such a relationship having the potential to provide valuable information and services to all involved.
Data aggregation pertaining to consumer preferences with regard to product samples to this point has not existed. As is readily apparent, the grand potential for any of these activities —product demonstrations, customer loyalty card activity, and valuable and reliable data aggregation—had yet to be realized to truly derive the data-collection and brand development benefits to provide sampling to consumers and feedback to manufacturers in an effective and unobtrusive manner.